Pen-clip.



G. W HEATH.

' PEN CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1914 1,186.983. Patented June 13, 1916,

WITNESSES //V W IV TOR 2? G1 eorzgeWHBuf/g K. oi Q1 A TTORA/EV found advantageous GEORGE W. HEATH, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

PEN-CLIP.

Original application filed April 30, 1914, Serial No. 835.351.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Phterrted June 13, 1916.

Divided and this application filed June 9,

1914. Serial No. 843,934.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, (lnouon \V. HEATH, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Xewarkfcounty of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pen-Clips, of whiclpt he following is a specification.

My invention relates to a pen clip for attaching fountain pens to a supporting element, such as the pocket or cases usually used for carrying such articles and constitutes a division of my co'pending application, S. N. 835,351 filed April 30, 1914.

In this specification reference, will be made to a pen or pen barrel but these expressions are used generically and are intended to cover pens, pencils. thermometers, cases, books and similar articles carried loosely'i'n a pocket or similar container.-

In clips of this character it has been to eliminate points or sharp edges to thepocket-engaging-spring member of the clip which edges are apt to tear the cloth and it has been suggested to provide a ball point to this member. It has also been suggested to form this ball into a roller with a fixed axis of rotation having a rolling action longitudinally of the pen to which it is attached. But it is unusual for a person in slipping the pen into the pocket to move the same strictly in a longitudinal direction ant unless this is done the roller will be held'and the advantages of a rolling contact are lost.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of my invention to retain all'of the advantages of the ball form of point and to provide a rolling contact with the cloth of the pocket ivrespective of the angle or direction at which the penis inserted in the pocket, irrespective of whether the top or bottom side of the clip is in engagement with the cloth and irrespective of whether the movement is lon gitudinal or transverse of the length of the pen. I attain this object broadly by freely mounting a small ball or sphere adjacent the end of the spring member so that it is universally movable its center.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanyingdrawin any direction about ings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention, and the invention further consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts herein after set forth and claimed Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through a pen barrel showing a preferred embodiment of my invention mounted thereon in side elevation; Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively side and rear plan views of the clip detached from its support, the ball mounting of Fig. 2 being shown in section.

In the drawings there is shown a support in the form of a pen barrel 1 positioned on the outside of which and suitably attached thereto is a spring-pooket-engaging member 2, one end of which is bent back upon itself to form an open bend 3 and a rela tively long spring pocket-engaging member 4.

A spherical ball 5 is loosely mounted in the pocket engaging portion 4 of the member 2 adjacent its free end and has its uppr and under sides projecting therefrom an free for rolling engagement in any direction. The mountings for this ball are provided by placing tube having an opening facing the barrel-of a length relatively small compared to the diameter of the ball and by means of suitable dies, the tube is pressed to form a shell 6 thereby -to inclose a small ring portion of the ball without binding the same. This shell has an internal bearing surface in the form of a segment of a sphere and is suitably attached to the portion 4 as by welding or. braiding the same into an aperture ad jacent the end of the portion.

The rolling contact provided by the ball reduces the possibility of any tearing or rumpling of the cloth forming the support and prevents the wearing of the nap off the cloth. The ballis eonyeniently mounted for rotary movement without the necessity of providing carefully milled pivotal connections as would be necessary with rollers. The dies for forming the ball shells need only be adjusted once for the formation of the first shell and this adjustment will do for all other shells ofthis size. These shells need not be'accurately designed, it being merely necessary to have them pressed approximately to form.

ing facing While I have shown and described, and have pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of my invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and de" pen barrel and a ball irrernovably contained 7% .11 the support adjaeent one end thereof,

said ball having a portion projecting from the support to provide a bearing surface and being free to roll in all directions.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pen barrel, of aspring pocket engaging member extending longitudinally of the barrel and having one end afiixed thereto, the free end of said member being provided with a shell having an openthe barrel, a spherical ball mounted in said shell and extending through said opening toward the barrel. said ball being free to roll iii all directions about its end bent back upon itself and fastened to the barrel, the other end of said member being flat and extending substantially parallel to the barrel, a shell fixed, to said fiat portion and spaced from the end thereof, said shell having an opening facing the barrel, a spherical ball mounted in said shell and extending through said opening toward the barrel, the ball being free to roll in all directions about its center and adapted. to engage with and roll on the cloth of the rtipcket in the direction of movement of the arrel while it is being inserted into or while it is being withdrawn from the pocket.

Signed at Newark in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this third day of June A. D. i

- GEORGE w. HEATH- Witnesses:

Geo. E. VAN DYNE, HELEN L. DAVIS. 

